38 Beekeeping 



Bees not domestic animals. 



Bees have been kept by man from an early stage in the 

 development of human civilization, yet it cannot be said 

 that they are domesticated. In all of their activities, bees 

 under the care of man do not differ from bees in a wild state. 

 The bee has been modified by breeding in various ways 

 but, in so far as the natural instincts are concerned, it is 

 doubtful whether any appreciable change has been brought 

 about and in the greater number of phases of bee life no 

 change has even been attempted. An escaping swarm takes 

 up its abode in a hollow tree and the bees are often then 

 spoken of as "wild, " but this adjective is just as applicable 

 to the bees in the apiary. Certain animal trainers become 

 proficient in handling savage animals through their knowl- 

 edge of the ways of these beasts. Similarly the beekeeper, 

 by studying the behavior of his bees, comes to know their 

 habits and is governed by this knowledge. This comparison 

 of bees and wild animals must be construed not as intended 

 to inspire fear in the uninitiated but to point out that the 

 beekeeper actually is dealing with animals unmodified in 

 their instincts by their long association with man. By the 

 proper use of smoke and especially by the way the colony is 

 handled, the beekeeper can seemingly do with his bees as he 

 pleases. The fact is, however, that he cannot overstep the 

 bounds set by the instincts of these animals. It is therefore 

 an incorrect conception of the ability of the beekeeper to 

 state, as did Langstroth, that bees are capable of being 

 tamed. In view of these facts, the necessity of a thorough 

 knowledge of bee activities is most evident. 



Necessity of colonial life. 



Bees cannot live alone. Their structure and instincts fit 

 them for life in a colony or community, where the various 

 duties are divided among the individuals according to struc- 



Many zoologists refuse to take taxonomy seriously and there seems every 

 reason for disregarding its laws in the present case. 



